A Home to Return To
Synopsis Prologue As Rena overhears in the Okinomiya café, Hōjō Teppei asks Rina how her "husband" is in Hinamizawa. The scene from the previous episode plays out with Rina explaining the amount of consolation money Rena's father received from her mother and how she will use Teppei to threaten him. Rena sees her paying and learns that she is Rina. She follows her out of the restaurant where she sees Rina embrace Teppei before he enters a cab. Rena becomes angry. First Half Rena hurriedly enters her home to find a note from her father stating that he had to go out for an emergency and will not be there for dinner. Rena rushes to his study and removes a locked box from his desk. She knows the combination, and she opens it to find two stacks of 10,000 円 notes, his inkan, and his bank passbook. It shows regular withdrawals of ~100,000 円 (≅ $1,065.60 in 2018). She looks at another passbook which shows similar near daily withdrawals. Shocked, Rena flashes back to Rina claiming, "He buys me anything I want. Anything," in the café. She drops both books. At school, while the younger students play soccer outside, Keiichi complains to Mion that he is bored. Rena replies that she prefers it when it is "calm and peaceful." The scene focuses on Rena's right eye. Keiichi asks her if there is a trick to turning a boring day into a fun day. Rena replies that it is "easy"; "You just have to notice it." Keiichi asks her what he needs to notice, and Rena looks up through the school window into the clouds. "That there is a limit to happy days," she replies. Her seriousness quiets Keiichi, who stares back at her. Mion interrupts to protest that Keiichi will not understand her philosophy. She then teasingly asks him "Right (ねええええ・''neeee'')?!" as she makes her "escape" through the open window while Keiichi rages. As she giggles, he pursues her, and Rena watches with an expression of sadness. She observes, "That's right. Happy days are limited." Rena returns home to find a pair of woman's shoes next to her father's. She is greeted as "Reina-chan" by Rina. Rina informs her that she and Rena's father had delicious "keema curry" for lunch, and she brought back some for Rena. Rena very politely thanks her. Rina then tells her that she would like a talk with both her father and her. Rena interrupts to excuse herself since she has a friend waiting and must go out. Rina laughs and asks her if she is going on another "treasure hunt" at the dump. She ask if she should go with Rena next time. Rena does not answer and instead bids a quick goodbye. Rina tries to call to her, but Rena is soon out the door. Rina bites her thumbnail in frustration. Rena looks at her house from outside, then she runs away. At the dump, Rena makes her way only to hear a noise behind her. She sees Rina calling to her. Rina asks if Rena is alone, and Rena responds that she is. Rina approaches her, but is surprised at how fast Rena can move in the dump as Rena, once again, bids her goodbye. Rina follows Rena to the abandoned van. She observes that it appears a "secret place" which elicits a playful laugh from Rena and her delighted admission that no one comes to it. Her voice then turns serious as she adds, "Nor can anyone hear anything." Still laughing and playful, Rina approaches Rena declaring how happy she is to be able to come to Rena's secret place. She announces that she has something she wishes to ask Rena. Rina asks Rena if she likes likes her. Rena laughs and asks why she suddenly asks. Rina explains that she has been dating Rena's father and the two have talked seriously "about many things." Rena's face turns expressionless as she listens. She flashes back to when her mother asked her if she liked her boyfriend. She then cuts off Rina by calmly stating that she will not approve a remarriage. She explained to the surprised Rina that she does not care what relationship Rina has with her father; she will not approve a marriage. Rina laughs then smiles seriously and confesses that she expected some rejection from Rena, but she did not expect her to be so blunt. Rena replies that she is surprised that Rina knew she would reject her. Rina explains that it was obvious since whenever their eyes met, Rena would immediately run away. She then asks, for her information, what Rena does not like about her. Rena replies, "Everything from the start!" Rina replies that it is "convenient," since she also hated Rena from from the start, "so we're even." She then drops all pretense and threatens to beat up Rena if she interferes. Rena calmly orders her to never come to her house again. Rina laughs and "invites" Rena to try to persuade her father to give up on remarriage. She approaches Rena and places her left hand on Rena's right shoulder as she declares their argument "pointless." She announces that she is pregnant. Rena's eyes widen as she inhales sharply and recalls her mother informing her that she was pregnant when she tried to convince Rena to live with her rather than her father. Rena screams, "Liar (嘘だ・''usoda'')!" This actually stuns Rina who meekly insists that she is not lying. Rena clenches her fist and informs Rina that she heard her conversation with Teppei and understands the "badger" scam. Rina smiles and calmly looks around as she notes that Rena does know everything. She reminds Rena that they are at her "secret hiding place," that "no one knows about." She slaps Rena in the face, then grabs her by her hair. She tosses Rena to the ground covered in various junk and kicks her as she notes that she has "several million yen" coming to her. Rena is "so in the way!" She tosses Rena on her back then starts to strangle her. She demands that Rena die. She insists that she did not want to kill Rena, but she will never find another "mark" like Rena's father again. As she continues to strangle Rena, she explains that she had planned to disappear as soon as she got Rena's father's money. As Rena struggles to breathe, her right hand falls upon a shard of glass. She uses it to slash open Rina's belly, which causes Rina to scream, release Rena's neck, and double over clutching her wound. Rena rises to her knees and finds a pipe under her right hand. Wide-eyed, she looks down at the gasping Rina. As Rina looks up at her in anger, Rena raises the pipe. Rina begs her to "wait," but Rena repeatedly strikes Rina in the face and head as she screams "Die!" As the higurashi cry, Rena continues striking Rina with the pipe. She finally drops the bloody pipe and looks at Rina's body. There is a quick close-up of Rina's mutilated face. Rena catches her breath, then starts to drag Rina's body into a refrigerator. Later during the night, she walks the road with a flashlight. She hears a crash and a man swearing. She sees Teppei toss her father out of their home as he demands to know how he dare touch his woman. Rena quietly observes Teppei play out the scam: he will return the next day to collect the amount he demands. He spits on her cowering father and storms off dramatically. Rena watches Teppei’s actions with hatred. She follows him and politely calls out to him to identify herself. She then tells him that Rina asked him to take him to her. When he asks what happens, she politely responds that Rina said she had something to tell him. At the dump, Teppei asks her why Ritsuko would be there. Rena explains that she said that she really wanted to talk alone. Teppei grumbles as he tries to follow Rena through the dump. Her flashlight appears to fail, and she apologizes. She tells him to wait a second. Teppei notes that he has a lighter and starts trying to light it. He sees that she is gone, and while he wonders to himself where she went, Rena appears behind him with her nata axe raised. She immediately cleaves open his head. Second Half The school bell rings, and the younger children rush out of class laughing. Rena apologizes to Mion that she again has "things to take care of," and she cannot join club activities. Keiichi asks Rena if she is going home. Satoko appears with Rika and consoles Rena that she will miss seeing Keiichi "lose pathetically." Rika agrees, and Rena apologizes, but Keiichi looks at her seriously and notes that she had things to do at home the day before as well. Rena smiles and says, "a little," as the scene shifts to her dressed in her black track suit with heavy gloves in the dump. She saws at a body that is on plastic, with her foot stepping on a hand, until something makes a sick and wet snapping sound. A few flashes of the parts reveal Rina's feet and Teppei's arm near part of his head. Rena then starts placing taped-up plastic packages into the refrigerator. Keiichi's voice complains: "What's going on here? We're missing a lot of pieces?" Back at the school, Mion agrees that they cannot play mahjong with so few pieces. Satoko suggests that they "treasure hunt" for the missing pieces. Keiichi does not find that at all interesting, but Mion suggests "doing a more hard-core treasure hunt." Satoko quickly surmises that they should go to the dump, but Rika starts to warn them that a ghost from the Dismembered Corpse Case appears. Keiichi notes that she is referring to the suspect who remains on the run and the fact that he took an arm from the victim which has never been found. Mion laments that Rena is the only one who would want to go to the site after that incident. Nevertheless, she stands and announces that they will go treasure hunting at the dump. The one who finds the ghost wins, and the one who finds the arm is the runner-up. The next place is for the one who finds something Rena likes. They all agree to leave that decision up to Rena. The scene returns to the Prologue of the previous episode. Standing on the van, Rena says, "I think that is all." She then calmly tells the stunned group that she was simply was walking near the river bank to find, "a place to bury these bags." She giggles that she could not find a "good place." Keiichi calmly interrupts her and asks "why?" He then grows angry and demands to know why she did not consult them. Expressionless, Rena asks, "'consult?'" Keiichi insists they are friends who will stand by her no matter what. They are "like a family." Had she consulted them, perhaps she could have avoided killing people. Rena pauses, then asks what they would have done if she had told them about Rina and her father. Keiichi cannot find an answer. Rena smiles and responds that "it is impossible," and he cannot do anything, nor can any of the others. Satoko and Rika, then Mion, all look sad. Rena observes that friends are only those one hangs out with "to do fun and silly things. They won't be on your side when painful times come." Keiichi tries to protest, but Rena interrupts him to tell him that it has been like that for a while. Rena then claims that "it was like that," where she was before she returned to Hinamizawa, "That's why I stopped disclosing things to my friends." She looks seriously at Keiichi: "Because no one is going to help. No one can help." Keiichi starts to cry and ask why she will not trust them. This surprises Mion. He continues that if she told them, while they may not have been able to come up with the best solution, "I believe we could've reached a better future than now." Rena smiles, repeats his statement as a question, then replies with a bit of a laugh that, "There is no such thing." She declares this "the best future." Keiichi responds with "Lies! (嘘だ・''usoda'')!" screams Keiichi, which startles Rena. As proof, he notes that Rena has been crying the entire time. Rena laughs at this, but Keiichi insists that she has and asks if she does not notice it. This startles Rena again, and she stares as Keiichi wipes his own eyes and accuses her of doing "the worst thing" and calls her an "idiot." Nevertheless, as her best friend, he will accept it that her murders were the very last thing she could have done. Because of that, he promises to understand her. He then reminds her that only they know about the murders, and if they all keep it a secret, the matter is over. He then climbs up on top of the van and extends his hand to her. Rena looks scared and stunned. Someone places a hand on Keiichi's, and it is revealed to belong to Rika. To Keiichi's happy surprise, she smiles and returns a "Mi." Satoko then adds her hand. She explains that she and Rika both lost their parents and were alone, but they never grieved over it since they had friends who acted as a family. Mion adds her hand as she explains that she thought it was the Club Leader's "duty" to share the value of friendship. She sheepishly laughs and suggests that she did not do a good job. She explains to Rena that she is embarrassed that she did not understand Rena's situation as a friend and Club Leader, and she asks for Rena's forgiveness. Mion continues that she will, "of course," forgive Rena for not confiding in them: "That means we weren't worthy to have things disclosed to us." Tears well up in Rena's eyes as she confesses that she is a murderess. Keiichi reminds her that it is not "too late," in that she still has options. Rena wipes her eyes, but Keiichi takes her hand and places it on the rest. Rena starts to fully cry, and Mion places her other hand on Rena's back. Though the forest, they convey a wheelbarrow filled with the wrapped up pieces of Rina and Teppei. Keiichi deposites them in a small cave, smiles, and nods at the worried Rena. Returning, Mion walks ahead of Rika and Satoko. Keiichi follows then turns to see Rena standing and looking back. He calls to her. She turns, smiles, and apologizes. Keiichi tells her when she goes home, she needs to take a "nice rest." Mion instructs her not to blame herself. Rena sadly explains that things are "just as everyone said.": "I wasn't able to fool myself. No matter how hard I tried to glorify my actions, I was frightened in my heart that I had done a terrifying thing." She then observes that since they all helped her, she was able to get this far. Back in the town, they all retrieve their bikes and watch Rena peddle away. Mion suggests that they should all forget about the day. Rika and Satoko quickly agree. Rika continues that Rena is a "strong person," and if they all act as if nothing happened, she will do the same. Keiichi notes the saying that if they all act a certain way, it will become the truth. Mion adds that, "by not talking about it, we'll eventually forget about it." Rika suggests that the day when they forget about it may or may not come within their lifetimes. In her school uniform, Rena eagerly climbs the steps of the Furude Shrine for the Watanagashi Festival. For a moment, she looks unsure, but then sees her friends. Mion playfully scolds her for being late. Keiichi asks where they should begin, and Satoko complains that she is hungry. Rika agrees with a "Mi," and Mion declares they should start with yakisoba as the figure of Ōishi Kuraudo appears, drops a cigarette butt, crushes it with his foot, then smiles. Post-End Titles Rika's Adult Voice *"Where I started to run is the usual way home. What squirms is the message from misfortune. What is opened is the deceptive scrap." after introducing the next episode over a flash of Rena on a telephone, she asks: *"Can you believe it?" Characters In order of appearance *Ryūgū Rena *Mamiya Rina *Hōjō Teppei *Rena's father *Rena's mother (flashback) *Children from the School *Maebara Keiichi *Sonozaki Mion *Hōjō Satoko *Furude Rika *Construction Manager (mentioned) *Villagers from Hinamizawa *Ōishi Kuraudo Referbacks and Forwards *The flashback to Rena's mother is also a flashback in the previous episode. *Rena does not know that Teppei is Satoko's uncle. *Kasai explained the "badger" scam in the previous episode. *Teppei calls Rina by her name "Ritsuko." *Rika warning the others not to go to the dump. *In this arc, Keiichi knows about the the dam construction site murder of the Construction Manager. *All jokes about "Manly Tears" aside, Keiichi cries over events in other arcs for significant reasons. *"Lies (嘘だ・''Usoda'')!" *All of the friends holding hands together. Trivia *100,000 円 which is $410.42 in May, 1982 and is $1,065.60 in 2018. *The manga adaption has an famous depiction of Keiichi finding Rena which is in the Gallery. Cultural References *'Rena Removing Her Shoes:' even though she is in a hurry. This is something ingrained in Japanese from childhood. *Rena's father does sign the note with "Dad," (父・ちち・''chichi'') which is how Japanese refer to their own father. *''Inkan'' or Hanko: as the link explains, possession of the stamp is possession of the signature of the owner. Rina does not need to steal Rena's father's inkan. *''Keema'' *''NataAxe *RyobaSaw *Mahjong'' *“A good friend will help you move, but a true friend will help you move a body.” - Steven J. Daniels, Weeds in the Garden of Love Memorable Moments *嘘だ!: Rena again proves ever tolerant of "lies" (嘘だ・''usoda'') as she did in Onikakushi-hen. **Keiichi turns the situation from Onikakushi-hen on Rena. Quotes *"You're lucky because every day seems to happy for you." - Keiichi to Rena *"Reina-chan, do you like me (好き・''suki'')?" - Rina **"What do you mean all of a sudden?" - Rena *"I thought there might be some rejection, but I didn't expect you to be this straightforward." - Rina to Rena *"Everything from the start! Your makeup, your clothes, even your smell." - Rena to Rina *"You are so in the way!" - Rina to Rena *"If you did, then you might've not had to kill someone." - Keiichi to Rena **"Fine then. As Keichi-kun said . . . let's say I told you guys about that woman and my father. Now what'll you do?" - Rena **"First . . . uh." - Keiichi **"First . . . What?" - Rena **"Uh . . ." - Keiichi **"It's impossible. You can't do anything." - Rena *"I'll accept this was the very, very last thing you could've done after grappling with it for so long!" - Keiichi to Rena *"We are responsible for our immaturity." - Mion to Rena *"I think it's best for everyone to forget about today." - Mion *"They say if we act a certain way, then it will soon become the truth." - Keiichi Gallery Rena's Father's Other Passbook.png|'Rena's Father's Second Passbook' 年 is "year," 月 is "month (5)," and 日 is "day." "S58" = Showa 58 = 1983 Rina Greets Rena.png|''When They Cry Wikia'' insists it is important to depict Rina's tattoo. Rina Asks Why to Rena.png|"Do you have an hour?" - Rena Rena Calls Rina a Liar.png|This will end well. . . . Rina Strangles Rena.png|So a June wedding. . . . Rina Cut.png|"May I ask you to reconsider?" - Rina Rina Dead.png|A better death than that depicted in Tatarigoroshi-hen Rena-Caught.jpg|'Scene from ''Manga''' "Is this a bad time?" Mion Responsibility.png Category:Episodes Category:Tsumihoroboshi-hen Episodes Category:Anime